Guide

Idaho nonresident deer draw odds by unit

Updated October 12, 2026

From 2021 to 2025, Idaho's general-season deer hunters killed a deer at a rate of 27.4%. In 2026, the first year Idaho drew nonresident general deer tags instead of selling them, 53.72% of nonresident Regular Deer and White-tailed Deer applicants drew a tag against a statewide quota of 15,500. That average hides the part that matters to you: odds are set unit by unit, and they ran from a sure thing to less than one in ten.

15,500

nonresident general deer tags statewide, by draw

Dec 5–15

2026 application window for the 2027 season

5

hunt choices per application, no points

How the deer draw works

Deer are drawn for one specific unit. Elk are drawn by zone, which the guide to Idaho elk zones and tags explains, so a deer tag ties you to a smaller piece of country than an elk tag does. Each unit has its own nonresident limit and its own hunt code: Unit 1's Regular Deer tag is RD01. IDFG lists Regular Deer (RD) and White-tailed Deer (WD) hunt codes, and both kinds go on the same application.

Your application carries up to five hunt choices, evaluated in rounds from first choice down. Up to four hunters can share one application, but the group counts as a single entry and is only awarded if enough tags remain for everyone on it. You get one deer application a year.

There are no points of any kind. Nothing builds up, and a year you sit out costs you nothing. You must hold the $185.00 nonresident hunting license before you can apply, and it is nonrefundable whether you draw or not. IDFG lists an $18 application fee per species for this cycle, which the 2026 draw did not have.

For the 2027 season, the first application period runs December 5 to 15, 2026. Results post in early January 2027, and you have until January 20, 2027 to claim a tag you drew. Miss that date and you forfeit it. Forfeited tags go to a second period, February 5 to 15, 2027, with a March 20, 2027 deadline to claim.

What the 2026 odds say

IDFG's odds table gives each unit's nonresident tags, its applicants, and a percent drawn: the tags in the unit divided by the applicants who wanted them. In 2026, every deer tag went to a first, second, or third choice; none went to a fourth or fifth. In practice, your first three choices are the whole application.

The spread between units is wide. These are first-choice odds for Regular Deer hunt codes. Unit 1, with 671 nonresident tags, drew at 78.66%. Units 2, 3, 4, 68, and 69 drew at 100%: every first-choice applicant got a tag. Unit 66 drew at 60.75%, Unit 66A at 66.40%, and Unit 67, with 50 tags, at 30.49%. The hardest draws were Unit 21 at 8.66% and Unit 36A at 10.71%.

Every deer tag was awarded in the first period, but not every tag was claimed. IDFG's list for the second drawing, February 5 to 15, 2026, showed up to 1,909 deer tags left under the statewide limit, spread across most units. Unit 2 had 199 Regular Deer tags on that list, Unit 3 had 195, and Unit 39 had 140. IDFG notes the statewide limit can be reached before a unit's own quota is.

Odds against success rates

Draw odds tell you whether you get to hunt a unit. The success rate tells you how the hunting went for the people who did. Read them side by side.

Unit 1 drew at 78.66% and posts 38.4% over 2021–2025. Unit 67 drew at 30.49% and posts 12.3%: the hardest draw on that list is not the better hunt. Unit 66 drew at 60.75% and posts 10.5%.

Unit 68 and Unit 69 filled every applicant in 2026. Unit 68 posts 17.9% and Unit 69 posts 17.8%. A sure tag is worth having, but know the rate you are buying.

The largest nonresident allocation in the state is Unit 39, with 1,190 tags. It posts 18.5%, and that rate comes from one of the most heavily hunted deer units in Idaho.

Two cautions. IDFG's rates count every general-season hunter in the unit, residents included; it does not publish a nonresident split. And Idaho's deer rates combine mule deer and whitetails into one number. Both are covered in How to read hunting success rates.

The best deer units and what a nonresident can draw there

These are Idaho's top five deer units by pooled 2021–2025 success rate:

1. Unit 16 45.4%
2. Unit 13 43.0%
3. Unit 11 42.7%
4. Unit 10A 42.2%
5. Unit 15 40.9%

See the full ranking: Best deer hunting units in Idaho

The top of that list is thin for nonresidents on a Regular Deer tag. Unit 16 leads at 45.4%, and its 2026 nonresident limit is 15 Regular Deer tags plus 3 allocated to outfitters; the White-tailed Deer tag there has 117. Unit 13 and Unit 11, next on the list, have no nonresident Regular Deer hunt code at all in the 2026 tables. The general tag there is the White-tailed Deer tag, with 152 nonresident tags in Unit 11 and 42 in Unit 13.

Unit 10A, at 42.2%, has 47 nonresident Regular Deer tags plus 43 for outfitters and 677 White-tailed Deer tags, and a second deer tag may not be used there.

Twelve backcountry deer units (7, 9, 10, 12, 16A, 17, 19, 19A, 20, 20A, 26, and 27) are capped at the five-year average number of nonresidents rather than a share of total hunters, so their limits stay small. These are 2026 limits; the 2027 proclamation may change them.

Building your five choices

Put the unit you want most first. Fill the next two with units that drew well in 2026 and post a rate you would accept, and check the odds for the round you plan to use. A unit that drew 100% on first choices is not a sure thing later: Unit 2 drew 17.88% on second choices and 5.32% on third, and Unit 4 drew 27.71% and 6.49%. No 2026 deer tag went past a third choice, so choices four and five cost nothing to fill, but don't count on them.

Read the season lines on each unit page before you commit. On the Regular Deer tag, Unit 67's any-weapon antlered season runs October 10 to 24, with no antlerless season, and Unit 39's any-weapon antlerless season is a youth hunt only.

To build a wider list, open the Idaho planner set to Nonresident with "General tag includes antlered deer" on, or work down the full Idaho deer rankings. Every unit page shows the nonresident limit and hunt code. If you are new to building a shortlist, How to pick an elk unit walks through the method; it works the same way for deer.

Budget the cost before you apply: the $185.00 license, the $18 application fee, a $351.75 deer tag, and the $10.00 access and depredation fee come to $564.75 before travel if you draw. Those are the prices on IDFG's nonresident fee page as of October 2026. The Idaho nonresident guide covers the rest of the costs and what this site can and cannot show for Idaho.

Sources

1. Idaho Fish and Game — Nonresident Draw Data and Descriptions, 2026 Draw (PDF) — the 53.72% overall deer draw rate, the per-unit percent drawn, the choice each tag went to, the Unit 1, 2, 3, 4, 21, 36A, 66, 66A, 67, 68, and 69 Regular Deer first-choice odds, and the Unit 2 and Unit 4 second- and third-choice odds. Accessed October 2026.
2. Idaho Fish and Game — Nonresident Second Draw Tag List (PDF) — the up to 1,909 deer tags left for the February 5 to 15, 2026 second drawing, and the Unit 2, 3, and 39 figures. Accessed October 2026.
3. Idaho Fish and Game — Nonresident Deer and Elk Tags — the draw mechanics, five hunt choices, four-hunter groups, Regular Deer and White-tailed Deer on one application, no point system, the $18 fee, the January 20 and March 20, 2027 claim deadlines, and the December 5 to 15, 2026 and February 5 to 15, 2027 periods. Accessed October 2026.
4. Idaho Fish and Game — Regular Deer Tag, Nonresident Limits — the 15,500 statewide nonresident deer quota and the per-unit selection rule. Accessed October 2026.
5. Idaho Fish and Game — 2026 Nonresident General Tags and Tags Allocated to Outfitters (PDF) — the nonresident Regular Deer limits for Units 1, 10A, 16, 39, and 67, the White-tailed Deer limits for Units 10A, 11, 13, and 16, hunt code RD01, the absent Regular Deer hunt code in Units 11 and 13, the statement that there was no application fee for the 2026 draw, and the twelve five-year-average backcountry deer units. Accessed October 2026.
6. Idaho Fish and Game — 2026 Big Game Seasons and Rules (PDF) — the Unit 39 and Unit 67 deer seasons and the second-tag restriction in Units 10, 10A, and 12. Accessed October 2026.
7. Idaho Fish and Game — License, Tag, and Permit Costs, Nonresidents — $185.00 adult hunting license, $351.75 adult deer tag, $10.00 access and depredation fee. Accessed October 2026.
8. Idaho Fish and Game — Big Game Harvest Statistics — general-season unit hunter and harvest counts behind every Idaho rate. Accessed October 2026. See the Data page for the per-unit sources.

Glass Idaho deer as a nonresident